Filed to story: The Wolf Prince’s Fated Love
“If your magic can diagnose it, maybe you can help heal it too.”
“I don’t know how to do that!” I tried to stay calm, but panic was clawing its way up my throat at the thought of losing Gracelyn and maybe the baby too. I’d come to care about them already, and I would be devastated.
Shay reached up and slapped me lightly on the cheek, shocking me back into the moment. “Try. Whatever you did to find it, go do it again. And this time, concentrate on fixing it. Now. We don’t have much time.
She doesn’t have much time.”
“You’re right, okay. Okay.” I spun back to the bed, settling my shaking hands back onto Gracelyn. Her forehead was coated in a sheen of sweat, and she was looking paler than when we’d walked in. Shay was right. There wasn’t much time left, and if she ruptured…
I let my eyelids fall shut again, feeling for the small tear. I found it more quickly the second time, and panic tried to strangle me again when I realized it had doubled in size.
Goddess, no. I can’t let her slip away from us. How do I help her? I don’t know what to do!
Entreaties to the Goddess fell from my mind like raindrops, and I never expected an answer. Which was why I nearly fell over when I heard gentle words, like soothing balm, whispered into my mind.
Your wolf knows. Let her guide you.
Let my wolf guide me. Let my wolf guide me? How? I didn’t know how to call her, work with her. She rarely made herself known, and lately, it had only been with Kane-
My eyes flew open, and I bolted from the room.
“Kane! I need you, now.”
He was at my side in an instant, and I ran back to Gracelyn’s side, putting my hands back in place. “Touch my skin somewhere. My wolf needs your strength.”
He didn’t question, simply slid one hand to my waist, rucking up the bottom of my nightshirt so he could press his palm flush against my abdomen, the other hand snaking up and twining around the top of my arm, holding me gently and with ease.
My wolf pressed forward immediately, and magic surged beneath my fingertips again, stronger than before.
Heal her. Fix the tear,
I urged, unsure what else to do. To my utter relief, the magic rushed to the injury, and I could feel it knitting back together, until there was nothing left but strong, smooth muscle.
Gracelyn moaned lightly, her hand fluttering up weakly to the side of her belly. I didn’t move, willing the magic to search out what else was wrong, if there were any other issues. All I found was some blood loss, so I urged it to work with her to create new blood cells, boost her wolf’s natural healing.
I don’t know how long we stood there, Kane pressed to my back, holding me steady while I urged the magic to move, to work, to heal, but when my wolf finally pulled back, I swayed in Kane’s arms. Gracelyn’s color had returned, and she was napping peacefully on the bed.
“Baby, you’ve done too much. You need to sit.”
“I’m okay, just… drained. That was a lot.”
“What just happened, Bri?” Leigh asked quietly, still holding Gracelyn’s hands, currently limp with sleep. “I’ve never seen you do… whatever that was before.”
“My wolf healed her. I don’t know how, I don’t know why. But Gracelyn had a uterine tear, nearing a full rupture, and she fixed it. I fixed it.” I was babbling, exhaustion making me loopy as Kane lowered me into his lap on a chair tucked into the corner of the cozy room.
“Shay, can you take her blood pressure again? I don’t want to wake her up, but I need to check… I just need to check.”
It went against all my medical training to trust that she was just better somehow. Her blood pressure would be visceral proof that she was on the mend. Though, she looked so much better, it was like a different woman lay on the bed. Her forehead was smooth in sleep, her color high and rosy, and a half smile curved her lips. Her hand rested easily on her belly, and the pain that had been tearing her in two had clearly gone.
“One-twenty over eighty. It’s perfect.” Shay gently undid the cuff and put it away, never waking Gracelyn.
A small, relieved sob escaped my lips, and my head dropped to Kane’s shoulder.
I didn’t know how, I didn’t know why, but I’d done it. The Goddess herself had spoken to me, and I’d saved Gracelyn’s life, with the help of my wolf.
I turned my attention inward.
Thank you. You were magnificent. My wolf preened at the praise before curling up contentedly and tucking her nose under her tail, eyes drifting shut. Mine fell shut moments later, and I couldn’t have stopped them if I tried.
The rest of Gracelyn’s labor was smooth, and her little girl was born just before dawn to raucous cheers, and joyful tears from everyone hunkered down inside the cabin. She was tiny and perfect, with dark, curling hair and the wisest of blue eyes.
Something about a newborn baby made you step back and examine life, the wonder and beauty of it, and this time was no different. We left them tucked up in their bed, glowing with joy as a new family of three, blissfully unaware of how close they’d been to the edge, to death. Or at least, I liked to think so.
When I staggered from the cabin at Kane’s side, the sun was peeking over the treetops, and I didn’t want anything more than my bed-no, his bed-and to sleep for a week.
We were halfway there when the same gray-and-black mottled wolf came running up. This time, though, he shifted into a salt-and-pepper-haired man. I averted my eyes from his nakedness.
“Alpha, they’re preparing the field. The challenge starts in one hour.”
THIRTY-NINE
Kane
Asnarl ripped from my throat that had Julius taking a wary step back. She couldn’t compete now. She’d spent the entire night awake and expending considerable energy on saving Gracelyn’s and her daughter’s lives. I owed her a life debt, and I wasn’t going to repay her for saving my pack mate by letting her go out to her own death, weak and exhausted.
“No. There are extenuating circumstances. She’s been up all night saving Gracelyn and the baby. The challenge has to be postponed.”
“No!” She jerked out of my arms, putting her hands on my hips. “You know as well as I do that there is no postponing. I fight, or I forfeit. And there’s no way
I’m giving you up. No. I’ll be there. I just need to change out of my pajamas and splash some cold water on my face. Cup of coffee. I’ll be fine. Tell them I’m coming.”
She leveled a determined look at Julius, and he shifted back, bolting before I had a chance to argue or skin his hide. She turned slowly, seeing the darkness lurking in my eyes.